The Thirsty
by Empressofwhispers
Summary: When Hogarts school starts holding night classes after the disapearence of two students Harry, Ron, and Hermione suspect something is wrong. Soon the realize they have a choice. What happens when you choose to be safe or sorry?
1. The Wind In her Hair

Dearest Readers,

I really hope you like this! If you don't, go read something else. NO FLAMES PLEASE. Honestly, if you can write something better, you go do that first and THEN flame me. Once you do, I will accept you critics and whoever. Thanks. I do however, take constructive criticism! So if you have something constructive to say, then by all means, say it. Remember, I said CONSTRUCTIVE! Thanks. With that over with, if you do not support these pairings, LEAVE. I'm giving you a fair warning. This fanfic contains these pairings: Harry/Luna, Ron/Hermione, and Draco/Ginny. Perhaps some other pairings if I'm not too lazy. Well then, with that all over with, ENJOY!

Summary:

When Hogwarts school starts holding night classes after the disappearance of two students, Harry, Ron, and Hermione suspect something is wrong. But when they find out the shocking truth, they are torn between telling the parents of the children or taking the other side. What happens when you choose to be safe or sorry?

The Thirsty

Chapter one:

In the small house that laid on number four privet drive that rolled down little winging town, an abnormally "magical" teenager lay sprawled across his little mattress. He was wishing that tomorrow would come sooner. This teenager's name was Harry Potter, not the boy who lived, which was what people of his own kind called him constantly. He heaved a sigh merely thinking about it. So much had happened in the years that he had attended Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry and he often wondered what would have become of him if it had never happened. The messy haired boy never really fit in at his old school. He was just invisible to everyone else because well... he just was.

And in that boring moment a tapping noise reached his ears and he looked up; glad to have snapped out of that train of thought. His snowy owl, Hedwig had brought him a letter. Harry walked over and opened the window quietly in fear of getting caught by his aunt and uncle. He knew his aunt wouldn't betray him, (because of Dumbledore) but she would let Vernon beat him to a bloody stick. Hedwig glided in and into her cage, knowing very well tomorrow was the day Harry would leave to King's Cross train station.

Harry put his hand underneath her beak and she dropped the letter and afterwards bit him affectionately. Then he shut the cage and locked it quickly before hiding the letter. He slipped it underneath the squeaky, loose floorboard next to the mattress. Meanwhile, his obese and resentful uncle Vernon came stamping in and whispered harshly, "Boy, tomorrow you leave us for your sixth year, correct?" The frightened teenager nodded, "Yea. And you're taking me to King's Cross right?" His legal guardian peered at him with an icy stare through his beady eyes, "I wish. Tomorrow is also the day that Dudley is promoted to be a junior at his new school because the old one is closing and his grades were advanced. Petunia doesn't care but Dudley has requested that you come. So you will not be going but coming with us... the ceremony ends at 2:30."

"But, sir! If I miss the train, you'll be stuck with me ALL YEAR LONG!" Harry wined, trying to convince the large man in front of him to take him but it was of no avail, "No, Dudley wants you to be there and so you will be. And there will be NO MAGIC, do I make myself clear?" The teenager seethed inside with boiling spite towards Dudley but agreed; he was only sixteen, where was he to go? "Yes sir, very clear." "Good, now you'll have to wear something nice, Petunia will get something." Vernon muttered and then left the room; apparently he wasn't all too happy about it either. Harry groaned but his attention turned back towards the letter.

He cautiously lifted the floorboard and slid his hand in the empty space underneath it. The boy reached and groped until his rough hand felt the wonderful texture of a parchment envelope. He then grabbed it delicately and put the floorboard back in it's place. A small slicing sound erupted from the envelope as it was being torn and a small sliding noise sounded when the letter was taken out. Harry looked at it curiously, the handwriting was extraordinarily neat, but had an odd feeling about it, the loops in the cursive were not thin but wide and it looked... friendly but warning. This was exactly the same content of the letter.

Dearest Harry,

I know about your cousin's promotion and how he wants you to go, however, we need you at Hogwarts and I will come and get you. Be waiting tonight by your window and be ready. We won't have much time. By the way, your owl Hedwig is very charming.

Sincerest Wishes,

Luna Lovegood

Harry stared at the note blankly for a moment; he just received a letter from Luna? Not that he didn't like Luna, in fact he liked her quite a lot. She seemed to be the only one he could talk to about his life and she would understand completely. She too was affected by the dementors he had learned when they were talking on the train home. Hermione and Ron were prefects and Sirius had just died, so she sat with him. Over that time he had gotten to know her a bit more. She too had horrors in her past. She had seen her mother die; she cleaned her house, did all the chores, and watched her father form a gradual, yet steady addiction to alcohol. She was a lot like him in ways he didn't even know yet. Blinking out of his thoughts, the teenager packed all his things and put Hedwig's cage by the window.

He waited for about a half hour and wondered how she knew about Dudley's promotion and how he wanted Harry to go, it was odd. However he didn't have much time to think on the subject because a scary and grotesque looking creature carrying Luna on it had arrived at his window, and before he could ask questions, Luna shoved him on the creature with her and they flew off. The wind warped through his already messy hair and he yelled to be heard over the wind, "WHAT IS THIS THING?" Luna stated calmly, "Don't shout, it hurts him! This is Eftemie! He is a Gargoyle! The others have your things so don't worry!" Harry was still puzzled but shrugged it off, for some reason he really trusted Luna and so he didn't ask anymore than that.

He looked up at the night sky that was sprinkled with stars and blessed and basking in the comforting light of the crescent moon. Luna too, looked up and smiled while closing her eyes, "Isn't it beautiful? This is when the lunar faeries come out and dance! If we're lucky, one might come up! They're usually very shy though." And almost as soon as she'd said it, millions of faeries could be seen twirling and flying in the night. Each had their own blue and sometimes blue-green or blue-violet glow. Some selected few even had a sliver glow and their wings were all spectacular, but each unique. Harry's eyes wandered over to Luna, to whom a silver faery had landed on her forefinger and she held it up close to her face. The light shone brightly on her face and enhanced the gorgeous look of pure joy, wonder, excitement, and mysterious love that she was wearing. Strangely enough, more faeries each came up and flew around her. Their sparkling dust trailing around behind them, and now Harry just focused on her. She was absolutely thrilled to see and even touch these faeries!

Something about her seemed different, her eyes were always wide in fascination, but he never really noticed what a wonderful silver they were. They shone so brightly, reflecting many deep and well meant emotions. Her pale skin was now tinged with some pink as the wind and faeries blew around her, and then he noticed her small smile, so calm, but so meaningful. And it was just then that Harry began to ask himself how he had never noticed all this before. Come to think of it, she looked a little like Malfoy himself... except that her hair was a dirty blonde, and well... his look looked way better on her. Something about her was different though. Something was unusual... something he just could not place. Maybe it was that her hair was neater and curlier than usual. Or maybe that her laugh was a bit deeper. Maybe it was her voice? Whatever it was, he still could not tell.

Soon enough, they all landed upon an old stone castle, which was vaguely familiar. Yet, Harry had never seen it before. "What an odd feeling," he thought. Eftemie's strong wings blew up a breeze as he landed and Luna helped the boy who lived off, "Okay Harry, I suppose you want an explanation... These are gargoyles, and this is where they all perch before sunrise. I asked them to help us out because this isn't too far from Hogwarts." Harry was very curious indeed, so he asked, "Why do they perch here before sunrise?" The blonde girl laughed, "Why? Harry, they're gargoyles, so when the sun rises, they turn to stone!"

This caused the boy to blush and then he caught a glimpse of a statue. It was of a beautiful woman who had tears steaming down her cold, stone face. Her hair was long and her arms were out stretched towards the horizon and her face held a lost expression. Harry was afraid to ask yet another stupid question, but Luna had already caught it by look on his face and pulled him closer so she could whisper in his ear, "Harry, that is Eftemie's love, Voletta Esmay. She used to live in the castle and fell in love with him as he fell in love with her. It was sort of a love and hate relationship because the others began to trust her more than him and he was jealous. But in the end, her parents saw the love before they did and moved away. On their last night, before she left, she held onto him crying, about to admit her feelings and then the sun rose. You can't touch a gargoyle when the sun rises, Harry. If you do, you turn to stone... like she did. Eftemie has been searching for a cure for over 3000 years but hasn't found one yet. It would be best if you did not speak of her." It took a while for the teenage wonder to understand what she said but then he nodded and the rest of the gargoyles landed.

Harry could finally see them. There were two girls, and two guys, (excluding Eftemie) and the girls gently placed his stuff down. They looked like twins, but the only thing that was a difference was their eyes. One had piercing green, and the other had lightning yellow. They both had very long, strait hair and long heart shaped faces. They also had pointed noses along with full, pouty lips... and they reminded him greatly of Ginny. The only thing was they looked about ten years older than they were and didn't have freckles. Just cold, light blue skin. The one with golden eyes smiled at him and held out a hand for a hand shake, "Hi. I'm Luminita and this is my sister, Evangeline. We're glad to see you... what's your name?" Luna laughed softly as Harry looked at them confused, "Don't you know that already?" This made Luna laugh harder and Evangeline shook her head, "Nope. If you're famous or something, I apologize, but people that are well known to wizard kind are never told to us. We don't get along all too greatly with mortals as you can guess." The boy who lived nodded, "Oh. Well I'm Harry Potter. Glad to meet you." The two boys scoffed and Luminita sent them a glare, "Shut up you two. No one asked for your opinion. Sorry, Mr. Potter. This is Elendin and Teshitan. They're the idiots of the clan. Forgive them, they have no manners at all, I'm afraid." Luna laughed a little more and hugged the one called Elendin, "Aw, they're sweet to me." Evangeline rolled her eyes and hugged Teshitan, "Well, they may be idiots, but they're cute idiots I'll admit."

The teenage boy took this time to look at them. Elendin had long hair, about two inches beyond his shoulders in a low pony tail and looked back at him through eyes as sparkling blue as pool water. And then Teshitan had shorter hair than Elendin, but it was still long, about to his shoulders and it was also in a low pony tail. However, he stared back at Harry through ruby red eyes. There was a silence that hung in the air for about two minutes and then they all burst out in laughter.

Eftemie sat in the corner, looking at Voletta's frozen statue. Apparently he was reminiscing about the times he had with her. A twinge of pity flashed in Harry's heart as he felt sympathy for the leading gargoyle. Luminita pulled him to her and smiled, "Here. Let's get you to one of the rooms down stairs. We'll take you to Hogwarts tomorrow night and beat the train there." Harry waited for Luna to come, then walked down the stairs following Luminita to a warm room with a roaring fire and hot tea. He wondered how the tea was already made, but Luminita just giggled and handed him a blanket, "Here. You can sleep on the couch, as all the other rooms are empty. Or filled with pretty much destroyed furniture. Is that okay?" Harry nodded and Evangeline let Hedwig out of her cage, where she landed on her arm and cooed happily. The teenage boy took that as a sign that he could trust the gargoyles. Luna then smiled sweetly and hugged him, "I'm going to sleep down stairs if you need me. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that both the girls left him alone to drift slowly into his own reality... his dreams.

Screams tore the silence in the stone castle as Harry jolted out of bed like lightning and ran to the source of the screams. He gasped as he saw the gargoyles turning to stone. The hero was right about to pull them along when the memory of what Luna had said came to mind, "You can't touch a gargoyle when the sun rises, Harry. Or else you'll turn to stone." So he sat there helpless while he watched the gargoyles freeze into one position. Then he remembered how Luna had explained how they wake up in the night and sleep in the day. He wandered down the stairs and ran to the dungeons to find Luna but could not find her. Panic began to rush through his blood and mind and, having no where else to go, walked back to the couch where he had slept and sat down. Instantly he heard a crunch and jolted back up to find that he had sat on a note for him.

Dearest Harry,

I'm sorry, but I had to head back to Hogwarts alone after receiving an owl from Dumbledore. Hopefully, I will see you soon. If not, Hedwig should know where to find me. Until we meet again,

Sincerest Wishes,

Luna Lovegood

The boy who lived sat back down and contemplated the letter. For some reason he was pained that Luna had left without him. And it pained him that she had said the word "hopefully" when she mentioned seeing him again. Hopefully to him this was all a big joke. However, he took this time to wander around the castle.

The dark, stone hallways were empty, but gave the illusion of being full. For some reason Harry believed it to be Eftemie's magic, and in truth, it was. He peered into the other rooms and saw what once great pieces of furniture were now nothing more than splinters cluttering the cold floor. Once again he got the feeling that this was Eftemie's doing... and once again he was right. He imagined Eftemie unleashing his anger upon the castle and saw that it was not pretty. He thought about the story Luna had told him. The leading gargoyle DID have a reason to weep. Losing the love of your life AND afterlife is a great loss indeed. He found a new respect for Eftemie and hours flew by like minutes as visions popped through his head like memories. Though in reality neither word would be best used to describe them, they were more of day dreams than memories or visions. They were the result when the boy who lived peered at the scattered wood and wondered how Eftemie had felt.

Soon enough, he remembered Voletta's statue and after some fading and melting, he saw Luna within the stone instead of the weeping woman. The teenager was gasping for air, as though perhaps it would stop this disturbing vision. Now here is where the word vision fits, for even though Harry walked away thinking it was his imagination, there was a message hidden beneath the surface of that dream.

(A/N :) And alas, this is where the first chapter ends. I've been working on this for far too long and even though it is short, it has taken too much time. I hope you all enjoyed it! Please do not flame and please do not steal the Gargoyles and Voletta Esmay. They are MY characters and I shall use them some day in a novel. Until then I am content with showing them to you. Thank you all and please read next time!

My Compliments to you fellow writers,

The Empress of Whispers


	2. Love is deep

CLAIMER: I OWN THE GARGOYLES EFTEMIE, LUMINITA, TESHITAN, EVANGELINE, ELENDIN AND I ALSO OWN VOLETTA ESMAY. MY COUSIN IS A LAWYER AND CAN SUE THE CRAP OUT OF YOU FOR USING THESE COPYRIGHTED CHARECTERS OF MINE! SO HA!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HARRY POTTER CHARECTERS. THEY ARE STRICTLY OWNED BY JOANNE KATHLEEN ROWLING. DO NOT SUE ME FOR ADMITTING THAT THEY DON'T BELONG TO ME!

Dearest Readers,

Hello. Thank you to anyone who reviewed! (I shall thank you all at the bottom.) I appreciate your time in reviewing my writings and wish I could find the words to express my thanks. I know it sounds sappy and cheesy, but it is also true. This chapter is dedicated to my first reviewer. (Lily390). Hope I please you with it! I also apologize for the spelling error in the last chapter. I could have sworn I typed it "Little Whinging". Perhaps my spell checker killed it.

My compliments to you fellow writers,

The Empress of Whispers

The Thirsty

Chapter two:

Harry sat atop the roof when the sun drew very low to the horizon. He stretched and made sure he was ready to leave for Hogwarts so that they wouldn't have to stall leaving when the gargoyles awoke. The magic of night pulsed through Harry's body like the most unusual adrenaline; the stars were dimly starting their lunar glow. The sky was darkening and the most gorgeous contrast in history was once again visible by the living on earth. The way the stars sparkled against the black was always breath taking, and what was more was that the clan members were rising.

The smooth stone veins were vanishing and the rest of the rock that encased them gradually faded to ash. Evangeline was the first to rise to her feet and dust along with crumbled rock slid off her satin gown and around her feet like a halo. She shook the soot out of her hair and flashed Harry a graceful smile, "Good evening, Mr. Potter. I hope you slept well?" Harry nodded and she looked at his trunk suspiciously, "Why on earth have you collected your things? We need not leave for at least a couple hours." The wizard looked at her astonished, "Really? We have that much time?"

Before the green-eyed woman could reply, they caught notice of Elendin helping Luminita off her knees as she yawned softly. The two gargoyles did not notice their audience and Elendin pulled her close within his arms. Upon this sight awakened Evangeline's devious side and she cleared her throat, "Save it for the ballroom." "Ballroom?" The boy who lived asked without thinking. This caused the freshly awakened Teshitan to chuckle, "Why yes, we cannot leave without dancing." Evangeline caught a glimpse of her red-eyed friend and Harry watched her bad girl expression melt.

Eftemie roared whilst he awakened and it resembled that of a lion's. Suddenly, everyone was quiet whilst the leader of the clan walked over to Elendin and pointed to Harry's stuff, "Take that back down stairs, we leave tomorrow night." The blue-eyed gargoyle did what he was told, and Teshitan asked why; which turned out to be a titanic mistake. He was roared at and then left behind without any other trace of a polite response. Evangeline rushed to his side and comforted him while Eftemie left for the dungeons and Luminita brought over the most elegant, but old fashioned gowns Harry had even seen. Both were black and it seemed that they had the same design except for the colors. For one had the colors of Slytherin and the other had the colors of Gryffindor. They left and returned quickly, Luminita in the red and black, and Evangeline in the black and silver. Each dress had a velvet bell skirt with a silk layer underneath and silk bell sleeves that slid off their shoulders most gracefully. Then there were corsets atop the dress and to put it plainly, they looked like the most gorgeous women Harry had ever laid eyes upon. They were twins, no doubt, and had the same taste in clothing, but their personalities were completely different. Luminita was gracious and kind, meanwhile Evangeline was wild and free-spirited.

The guys certainly noticed them as their eyes burned with lust and love. Teshitan was first to speak, "You look stunning, but what is the occasion, might one dare ask? You two have not worn those in at least five centuries." Elendin was far too occupied staring at Luminita to make a comment and Evangeline slapped the one she admired who admired her back lightly on the arm, "Do not speak like that in front of our guest, Teshi!" "Teshi?" Harry quirked a brow and they both blushed. The other two gargoyles laughed in amusement and Evangeline glared them all down; including Teshitan, "That is enough. Let us all escort young Harry here to the ball room. We would be ashamed if he truly wanted to leave us so quickly."

Indeed they would have been ashamed. Harry pondered on what the twins had said, "They have no manners at all, I'm afraid." How true. The boys really did have no manners to save the world. But the teenager was before long in the enormous ball room and had something different to think about. The floor was white marble that sparkled a golden color; perhaps due to the large amount of candles lighting the room. There were pillars and benches and a deck outside the room where Harry could almost imagine Voletta and Eftemie arguing over something.

Evangeline waved her hand and gradually the harp in the corner began playing itself and the room was filled with happy people chattering amongst themselves. "Another illusion," Harry thought, "I wonder how much magic these Gargoyles actually have." At that moment, Teshitan walked over next to Evangeline and bowed low near the ground, "May I have the honor of this dance?" The green-eyed lady took one look at his devious grin and was instantly by his feet with more of an attitude than ever before, "Yes you may." And with that everyone was dancing while a voice rung through the room with no words, just feeling. Harry noticed that some people were wearing masks, some were not, and that everyone there was a great dancer. At this his stomach knotted and he was beginning to feel extremely out of place.

His thoughts then turned to a strangely familiar young woman with a satin mask upon her face and a blue cloak around her body. The only thing visible besides her hands and feet were her cat-eyes. This plagued the teenager's mind; where had he seen this lady? He looked at her partner, who also looked strangely familiar. She had short, dirty blonde hair and liquid hazel eyes that made Harry's throat as dry as parchment. Her face had no lively color, no. Nothing but a pale stone white that made the boy who lived cold. Thunder struck and the candles and everything flashed for a split moment. The teenager was now sure that the gargoyles could merely do illusions and nothing else. Then everything came back and lightning shone, causing panic within the illusion's crowd. Raindrops began to impale themselves upon the castle and Evangeline waved her hand once more as the chaos within the crowd grew, "ENOUGH! Do not be afraid!" The people listened and then disappeared into the air. The candles were blown out and the harp stopped playing.

The only things visible in the dark were each gargoyle's eyes, which shone brighter than ever. Evangeline's eyes leaped out at him with their electric green while Tahitian's vibed an outstanding blood red. Luminita's comforted his trembling soul with their soft, yellow light and Elendin's eyes cast a soft blue fog around the room. "Okay," he pondered, "Maybe illusions aren't the ONLY thing they can do." The green light faltered as the woman the eyes belonged to began to giggle. Apparently she read his thoughts. Teshitan chuckled at Evangeline giggling and Luminita told them to be quiet, for Eftemie was in a horrible mood and the noise would anger him further. Which, surprisingly, it didn't. For in the next moment, the gargoyle leader walked in great strides through the room and waved at each candle, causing them to light again. He was stiff; which lead them to think he was angered, but when he turned around Harry saw tears streaming down his pale cheeks.

Now pain is a horrible thing; not because it is not enjoyable, but because it is contagious. As soon as they saw the tears in his eyes and down his face, everyone else was struck with woe. Not a word was said, no looks were exchanged. Silence hung in the air like a poisonous fog that choked the happiness and left nothing but sorrow to tear them all apart. "She is gone." Eftemie's deep, dark, and devastated voice faltered, "Voletta's statue is gone... I could not save her in time and now she is gone. Never to return again I fear. There was only one thing left." Luminita was about to kindly ask what when Eftemie held out his hand and the rest of the clan gasped. For within his palm laid her Sapphire pendant of the North Star. Harry watched helplessly as the broken up gargoyle broke down in sobs and roared when his companions attempted to help him out. Luminita began to sing sweetly to him but it was of no use, as he kneeled on the floor with tears running down his face.

The next paragraph you are about to read contains something very sad. If you do not like it, I apologize. I am merely telling you the story. Eftemie cried out in pain and froze as he would have if the sun had risen, then the wind blew the doors for the porch wide open and blew away Eftemie's form until there was nothing left at all. The pain of losing the love of his immortal life had killed him inside and out. The other gargoyles could only stare in shock and the castle's illusions evaporated. There were strands of tattered cloth hanging from the ceilings, paintings were torn, there were claw marks all over the walls and several pillars were cracked and fallen. Evangeline took a glimpse of where Eftemie had been and there laid Voletta's pendant. This soon led her to weep bitterly and Teshitan's shocked body took her and held her close to him. Luminita also cried, but into Elendin's shoulder and Harry himself felt the tears raining from his eyes. The only thing was there was no one there to hold him. He knew pain as Eftemie had. Not the same particular kind, mind you, but pain that is similar.

The rest of the night passed dully and sadly. There were many tears and questions; the main one was, "Who now shall lead the clan?" Teshitan seemed like a good candidate, but he could not take that responsibility; for he hid his true feelings, but felt them stronger than the rest. Harry's cracked voice wheezed, "Are you going to take me tonight? Who will lead you now?" Luminita's shivering figure rose and she sniffled, "I apologize, Harry. We cannot take you now. You will have to go on your own. We will give you supplies and lead you to the forest point, but we can go no further without Ef-Ef- Eftemi-," Elendin held her and squeezed her hand so she shakily continued, "And I shall lead the clan now, if we can still call it that. The number is so small. Once again I am sorry."

The gargoyles kept their word and lead him in such a slow pace it seemed like a procession. Finally they all reached the trees and with more tears, Evangeline shook Harry's hand and then hugged him when her tears became stronger. Teshitan and Elendin shook his hand and Luminita kissed his cheek lightly. The young wizard took his things and turned to face the forest when Luminita spoke for the last time to him, "Oh, and Harry?" He faced her and whispered, "Yes?" "Please do not tell Luna about Eftemie. Please? She would feel sorrow for us and I do not want her to feel that way. So will you keep it secret?" He nodded his head and then waved one last time as he walked into the thick forest.

(A/N :) I cry for Eftemie! He was my favorite! Does anyone have any tissues? He was the character closest to my heart! I am sorry! I thank you all for your kindness in answering to my story! So here are my responses!

JennyRoseAngel- I thank you! I did just update soon and I hope to continue the habit! 

Loonie Potter- Wow. I never thought of it that way before! They were like Romeo and Juliette! Wow! The things I do that I know not! "Oh what men dare do! Oh what mare dare do when they know not what they do!" (That's a Shakespeare quote. Heh.)

PouringRaindrops- Thank you! I love them too. They've been my head since I was small and now I am working on their real story. Except in the real story they're not Gargoyles. Perhaps I should change it so they are?

Lily390- Thank you for being my first reviewer! I do hope that this pleased you! Nice angst is ALWAYS good for the soul. Is it not?

My Compliments to you Fellow Writers,

The Empress of Whispers


	3. The Vague Woman

Dearest readers,

I am SO SORRY that I have not written in quite some time... please forgive me. You see, I have a job at Texas Intruments and it keeps me quite busy! However, I do hope that you will forgive me. And for waiting this long you all deserve a dozen roses. So there.This chapter is dedicated to Loonie Potter.

My compliments and apologies to you fellow writers,

The Empress of Whispers

The Thirsty: Chapter Three

It is a very strange thing, to walk in the dark; but when we are surrounded by a circle of friends, we find that it is fun and not scary. When one walks in the dark alone however, they find themselves in such fear that it blinds them like a fog from the comforting reality that there may not actually be a reason to fear. But for young Harry here, there may be something to fear after all because not only was he walking in the dark cold and alone, he was walking in a dark forrest cold and alone. At times like this it is good to imagine a nice butter beer or sing a song, but Harry could not do either because his fear had stopped him. Poor Potter didn't even have a clue as to where he was going. This sounds miserable, does it not? Well it was, so if you do not misery please click the back button on your internet browser and read a nice story about Ron and Hermione or Sirius and Remus. This is a warning I am giving you.

In this story you will find happy moments, trying moments, tough moments, and yes indeed you will find sad moments. So if you like happy little stories where nothing goes wrong, get out of this story immiediately. I do not want to be blamed for your agony over a simple story. I wish I could tell you happy things, but alas I am supposed to tell it like it happened and that I shall do.

Back to Harry and his terribly unfortunette situation, he was walking with little steps and tripping with pretty much every one of them. There was a deep mist in the woods and so he could not see the ground. Thus, he tripped over several rocks and plants. I suppose from reading other stories and accounts of him, you believe that he was a brave little boy. As much as it pains me to tell you this, I must say it anyway. You have been mislead. For Harry Potter was no brave boy, he was just worried over what needed to be done rather than what would happen. He worried for everyone but himself. Harry was not couragous, he was merely kind-hearted. Selflessness and bravery are often mistaken and if you were misguided, you now know the truth.

Anyhow, ther Potter boy was walking slowly, if walking at all. And it was then he was starting to hear a rustling of leaves and saw a pair of deep silver eyes shimmering from the distance. At once he was afraid and stood still, as he had been told in the muggle world that predators like bears and lions would pass you by if you were still. The eyes grew closer and closer, the rustling louder and louder. And with each footstep the creature made, there was an echoing sound in Harry's mind. Soon enough he was shaking in his boots and closing his eyes. Whatever was coming made a growl and grabbed Harry in an unspeakably gentle manner. Were you surprised? So was he. It was a hand that grabbed his hand... if you could call that grabbing. Harry took the small amount of time to feel the hand and gasped at once when he noticed the astonishing fact that it was a young woman's hand. It was soft, gentle, warm, and the perfect thing for his frightened soul. Slowly, a deep but kind voice caused Harry's spine to tingle and the cool air to mist, "I know who you are, where you are heading and why. But I do not know why the gargoyles didn't take you. Would you mind telling me why?"

The trees were getting thinner, a sure sign that they were almost through to the other side, or so Harry thought. But he answered the mysterious woman's question and asked a question of his own, "Their leader died. After that, the clan seemed weaker. Would you mind telling me why a woman like yourself is walking through this forrest?" The lady froze stiff for a moment and then shook something off. Apparently she was upset. Harry made the assumption that his question bothered her, so he was silent and did not ask anything else. However, assumptions are almost always wrong. Just like that one. The journey after that was silent, and the woman seemed to know the forrest very well, for they were almost at the end of it. Out of no where, her voice quietly rang out into the cold, "My breed." This puzzled the boy who lived deeply, "Pardon?" "My breed. You asked me why I was in this forrest and I said my breed. You see, we, like the gargoyles can't live in the sunlight. The difference is that we don't turn to stone in the light, we die. As you can guess, some wizards don't like that and so they wish to kill us all off. Over time my breed has learned the smell of you wizard and witch kind. We can smell you from miles away to see if you are a threat. I caught your scent from where I live and so I came here. That is why I am in this forrest."

The teenage hero was struck with even more confusion, is she smelled him, how did she know him? At this, the lady chuckled, as though reading his thoughts, "No. I will not tell you how I know you," she chuckled even harder, "But it is a good thing that you are asking. It shows a strength in charecter somehow." Soon enough, there was visible moonlight and Harry saw that they had reached the edge of the forrest. The woman stopped and Harry pulled her around rather rudely, to catch a glimpse of her face, which to his shock was familiar. He knew this woman from somewhere, but where? Was it school? Was it home? How did he know this woman? She grinned and exposed a pair of glistening fangs, "No. I will not tell you that," her voice grew especially soft, almost like a whisper, "Stop asking." The boy nodded and the woman quickly turned to point to a gravel road, causing her golden hair to swish a little, "You see that road? Follow it all the way until you reach a three way fork in the road." He nodded and ran to the beggining of the road, "But where will I turn?" The lady laughed and shouted, "I'm sure you'll find a way!" After that she sauntered off and Harry instantly remembered where he had met this woman. A flashing memory struck his mind and he saw the ballroom of the gargoyles and the dancing illusional crowd. She was the masked woman he could not place! He saw the memory of her twirl and then as soon as he'd seen it, it was gone. He'd met this enchanting female twice but still he could not place her! After that he made a promise to himself that some day soon he would know where he knew that lady and walked down the road she had placed him on.

A/N: Whew! Short chapter, I know! But that was just where I had to end it... you get it? I just finished reading this over and noticed that my style for this chapter has been influenced by Mr. Lemony Snicket. Did you realize that? Odd. Thank you all for reading! Please review!

My compliments to you fellow writers,

The Empress of Whispers

Loonie Potter: Save me a tissue!

PouringRainDrops: Yeah- I can't picture them as gargoyles either.

Lily390: Thanks! No problem!


	4. The paths before you

The Thirsty

(Chapter Four)

Sometimes, you will find that when you are alone it is better to think over something. Like if your aunt had just died, you would like to spend some time alone thinking about that aunt and how much you'll miss her. Some people find it better to think with other people around, others think better by themselves. Harry was one who found it better to think alone. And he did as he walked down the road that the vague woman had left him on. And as he mulled over her meaning while walking, he had thought so hard he didn't see the sign in front of him and ambled right into it. The force of shock was enough to knock him off his feet by itself, but the sign just made him want to pass out cold. As he laid there his owl pecked her beak into his cheek.

Slowly he arose and with blurry vision began to read the sign. "Curiosity Court" read the lane on the left, "Answer Avenue" read the one on the right, and "Serenity Street" read the one between. These titles puzzled Harry exceedingly to a point where he felt that his whole quest to reach Hogwarts was futile. He sat down and pondered hard about the situation. His large snowy owl perched herself upon his shoulder and began to nibble on his ear. The teenage wizard shook his head, thinking about the lady in the forest. He wondered where she was now and why she had not told him the true road. Anger started rising within him and he stood up and began to throttle the sign in frustration until he heard a sleek and familiar voice rise from behind him, "This long without me and you're already frustrated? Aw, I feel terrible for you."

It was the woman again. Why had she left him to come back? Harry wanted to show her just how much anger he was feeling but suddenly it all evaporated when he got to look at her. Her hair shone in patches against the moonlight and her skin glimmered with amusement. The familiarity of her appearance drove him mad, where had he seen her? Who was she? Well, he knew he saw her at the imaginary ball, but he had seen her somewhere else before that, and not knowing who she was irritated him. Her hands were laid on her hips as she chuckled, "The roads are each a test. Each one stands for a virtue. Curiosity Court stands for love," At this she spun her self next to the sign on the side of Curiosity Court, "So if I wanted everlasting love in my life, I'd go down there." Harry chuckled himself when she pointed down the road and continued dramatically, "And Answer Avenue stands for knowledge," She spun herself again to the direction of the other road, "So if I wanted answers for all my questions and truth in my life, I'd go down there." A long and awkward pause began to follow after she stated what Answer Avenue was, and that long pause tore Harry up inside. Not with that strange normal feeling one gets when they are alone, but with fear, "And what about Serenity Street?"

At this the woman began to grin and her teeth shimmered, then the teenager noticed something he never had before. She had fangs… sharp, carnivorous fangs. She began to grin wider as she sauntered over to Serenity Street, "Serenity Street? It stands for peace… not of the world or this wretched war, but of the mind. If I wanted to be calm and composed, and have peace and silence in my life, I'd go down there." Once again, anger started to rise in the boy who lived. She worked him all up for peace? He just wanted to get to Hogwarts, why couldn't he just get to Hogwarts? The woman must have read his mind because then, she laughed, "Because if I simply took you there, I wouldn't get any fun!" "You tease," Harry growled, "Now tell me which road leads to Hogwarts!" The lady shook her head and softly began to speak, "They all do. It is which path you take that determines a stronger sense of who you are." "I'm not in the mood to play mind games." Harry growled, venom dripping from his voice as thick as the Polyjuice Potion as he stormed away off into Answer Avenue and ignored the woman's calling voice, "You cannot take back the decision you have made!"

After he left she sank to her knees and talked with herself, "Ah well, if he makes a mistake he cannot blame it on me." Soon, a snowy owl landed on her shoulder for a split second before flying away.

Author's Note: Okay, really bad writing this time. I'm rushing to do this though, so please do not blame me. I'll have better writing next time I promise!


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